Reasons For

The Sony HXR-NX3 has a minimum aperture of 1.6 (as does the Sony PXW-X160), but the Sony PXW-X70 is a 2.8 minimum aperture camcorder (1.2 higher).

Hugely higher maximum aperture value
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The Sony HXR-NX3 has a maximum aperture value of 11 (as does the Sony PXW-X160), but the Sony PXW-X70 is only a 4.5 maximum aperture value camcorder (6.5 lower).

Smaller minimum illumination
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The Sony HXR-NX3 has a minimum illumination of 0.5lx, however the Sony PXW-X70 is a 1.7lx minimum illumination camcorder (1.2lx bigger).

WiFi
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The Sony HXR-NX3 features WiFi, and so does the Sony PXW-X70, however the Sony PXW-X160 does not.

Near field communication
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The Sony HXR-NX3 supports near field communication, and so does the Sony PXW-X70, but the Sony PXW-X160 does not support near field communication.

5 Reasons For

13x bigger optical zoom
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The Sony PXW-X160 is a 25x (optical) camcorder, whereas the Sony HXR-NX3 is only a 20x (optical) camcorder (5x smaller) and the Sony PXW-X70 is only a 12x (optical) camcorder (13x smaller).
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An optical zoom lets you enlarge the subject without having to move closer to it.

An optical zoom lets you zoom without loosing image quality. Digital zooms will simply enlarge the pixels and make the image look blurry.

1.2 lower minimum aperture
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The Sony PXW-X160 has a minimum aperture of 1.6 (as does the Sony HXR-NX3), however the Sony PXW-X70 is a 2.8 minimum aperture camcorder (1.2 higher).

Shorter minimum focal length
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The Sony PXW-X160 has a minimum focal length of 26mm, but the Sony HXR-NX3 is a 28.8mm minimum focal length camcorder (2.8mm longer).

6.5 higher maximum aperture value
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The Sony PXW-X160 has a maximum aperture value of 11 (as does the Sony HXR-NX3), however the Sony PXW-X70 is only a 4.5 maximum aperture value camcorder (6.5 lower).

0.11" larger viewfinder screen size
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The Sony PXW-X160 is a 0.5" viewfinder screen size camcorder. That's 0.05" larger than the Sony HXR-NX3 (0.39") and 0.11" larger than the Sony PXW-X70 (0.39").

8 Reasons For

Significantly bigger sensor size
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The Sony PXW-X70 is a 14.2MP sensor camcorder, whereas the Sony HXR-NX3 is only a 2.41MP sensor camcorder (11.79MP smaller).
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A megapixel (MP or Mpx) is one million pixels, and is a term used not only for the number of pixels in an image, but also to express the number of image sensor elements of digital cameras or the number of display elements of digital displays. For example, a camera that makes a 2048 1536 pixel image typically uses a few extra rows and columns of sensor elements and is commonly said to have "3.2 megapixels" or "3.4 megapixels", depending on whether the number reported is the "effective" or the "total" pixel count (as opposed to the 2048 1536 = 3,145,728 finished image pixels).

A larger number of megapixels increases the sharpness of images and video.

9.94fps faster maximum frame rate
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The Sony PXW-X70 is a 59.94fps camcorder. That's 9.94fps faster than the Sony HXR-NX3 (59.94fps).

WiFi
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The Sony PXW-X70 features WiFi, and so does the Sony HXR-NX3, however the Sony PXW-X160 does not feature WiFi.

Near field communication
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The Sony PXW-X70 supports near field communication, and so does the Sony HXR-NX3, but the Sony PXW-X160 does not.

2x lighter
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The Sony PXW-X70 is a 900g weight camcorder. That's 1.3kg lighter than the Sony HXR-NX3 (900g) and 1.8kg lighter than the Sony PXW-X160 (900g).
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Weight of the camcorder including battery.

A lighter camcorder is easier to handle when recording and to carry when travelling.

£1,564 cheaper

The Sony PXW-X70 costs £1,563.99 less than the Sony HXR-NX3 and costs £1,902.26 less than the Sony PXW-X160.

Available from 8 shops

A greater number of stores increases the chances of this camcorder remaining in stock and also increases the price competition amongst retailers for the product.

More popular

The Sony PXW-X70 is a more popular choice amongst buyers. It ranks No. 21293 by sales volume in our camcorders, however the Sony PXW-X160 ranks No. 634576.

Reasons Against

9 Reasons Against

Smaller sensor size
Edit

The Sony HXR-NX3 is a 2.41MP sensor camcorder, whereas the Sony PXW-X70 is a 14.2MP sensor camcorder (11.79MP bigger).
Read more

A megapixel (MP or Mpx) is one million pixels, and is a term used not only for the number of pixels in an image, but also to express the number of image sensor elements of digital cameras or the number of display elements of digital displays. For example, a camera that makes a 2048 1536 pixel image typically uses a few extra rows and columns of sensor elements and is commonly said to have "3.2 megapixels" or "3.4 megapixels", depending on whether the number reported is the "effective" or the "total" pixel count (as opposed to the 2048 1536 = 3,145,728 finished image pixels).

A larger number of megapixels increases the sharpness of images and video.

25% smaller optical zoom
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The Sony HXR-NX3 has an optical zoom of 20x, however the Sony PXW-X160 is a 25x (optical) camcorder (5x bigger) and the Sony PXW-X70 is a 12x (optical) camcorder (8x smaller).
Read more

An optical zoom lets you enlarge the subject without having to move closer to it.

An optical zoom lets you zoom without loosing image quality. Digital zooms will simply enlarge the pixels and make the image look blurry.

Slightly longer minimum focal length
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The Sony HXR-NX3 has a minimum focal length of 28.8mm, whereas the Sony PXW-X160 is a 26mm minimum focal length camcorder (2.8mm shorter).

12% smaller viewfinder screen size
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The Sony HXR-NX3 is a 0.45" viewfinder screen size camcorder. That's 0.05" smaller than the Sony PXW-X160 (0.39") and 0.06" larger than the Sony PXW-X70 (0.39").

9.94fps slower maximum frame rate
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The Sony HXR-NX3 is a 50fps camcorder. That's 9.94fps slower than the Sony PXW-X70 (59.94fps).

Heavier
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The Sony HXR-NX3 is a 2.2kg weight camcorder. That's 490g lighter than the Sony PXW-X160 (900g) and 1.3kg heavier than the Sony PXW-X70 (900g).
Read more

Weight of the camcorder including battery.

A lighter camcorder is easier to handle when recording and to carry when travelling.

£1,564 more expensive

The Sony HXR-NX3 is more expensive than the Sony PXW-X70 by £1,563.99.